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It is with great pleasure that we share with you “Ciel Éclairci! Towards better access to French language mental health and addictions services in Ontario.” This report was developed to support the Council in better understanding the mental health and addictions needs of Francophones in Ontario.

We extend our thanks to the Provincial System Support Program (PSSP) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) for leading this province-wide initiative and we are also very grateful for Dr. Suzanne Filion, member of the Council, for championing this work.

Council Chair Susan Pigott speaks with Robert Moore, Executive Director of the Provincial System Support Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Watch our new video, which features Council Chair Susan Pigott speaking with Robert Moore, Executive Director of the Provincial System Support Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Susan offers some insights into the Council’s latest recommendations to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. She also muses on what she learned about the type of collaborative effort involved in developing these recommendations, as well as the benefits to policymakers of engaging those who are working on the ground and those who have “intimate experience with the service system.”

It is with great pride that I present to you the third and final report of Ontario’s Mental Health and Addictions Leadership Advisory Council.

The Council was established in 2014 to provide the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care with strategic advice to fulfill the vision outlined in Open Minds Healthy Minds (2011), the government’s ten year strategy to build a comprehensive mental health and addictions system in Ontario.

We are pleased that many of our previous recommendations have been accepted, and are currently being implemented.

This year, we offer our final recommendations while also highlighting the conditions we believe will be critical to success, and providing potential directions for future consideration by the ministry.

While there is still much to be done, we believe that we have set in motion strategies and service initiatives which will go a long way toward meeting the needs of Ontarians.

The success of the Council model also leads us to strongly recommend that the government establish a permanent body to carry on this important work. Previous advisors have made similar recommendations, which unfortunately were not acted on. The case is even stronger today and, we believe, critical to achieving government’s vision.

The people of Ontario want and deserve a mental health and addictions system that is on par with the larger healthcare system, and in line with the vision of Open Minds Healthy Minds: “An Ontario where every person enjoys good mental health and well-being throughout their lifetime, and where all Ontarians with mental illness or addictions can recover and participate in welcoming, supportive communities.”

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the new bilingual website for Ontario’s Mental Health and Addictions Leadership Advisory Council.

We all know the stark statistics: mental health and addiction problems impact the lives of one in five Ontarians. The Council was established in 2014 to advise the Ontario government as it implements Open Minds Healthy Minds, the provincial mental health and addictions strategy.

This new, easy-to-use website features many key Council resources including our recommendations to the government as well as the research and background papers that support those recommendations.

This site will also help us better connect with you by providing ongoing updates. And it puts a face—many faces!—on the Council; you can explore our membership here, and learn about our history and guiding principles.

We’re especially delighted to launch our 2016 annual report Moving Forward: Better Mental Health Means Better Health. Click here to access the report as well as the summaries of the Council’s various working groups. You’ll discover valuable information that will inform your own efforts to improve the way Ontarians receive care for mental health and addictions issues.